The present disclosure relates to airbags. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to airbags that protect occupants of motor vehicles in the event of an accident.
Airbag modules or systems (e.g., side-impact, front-impact) are located in vehicles to restrain or otherwise protect occupants (e.g., driver, passenger) from impact or injury during a dynamic vehicle event (e.g., a front-impact, a side-impact, a rollover event, etc.). Airbag systems typically include an inflatable airbag cushion and an inflator. Upon detection or occurrence of a dynamic event, the inflator is triggered to release or otherwise produce inflation gas that is routed into the airbag cushion. The inflated airbag cushion may restrain the occupant and/or provide a protective barrier between to prevent impact between portions of the occupant (e.g., torso, head, neck, knees, etc.) and surfaces or objects of the vehicle (e.g., doors, dashboard, steering wheel, pillars, etc.). More particularly, inflators may be pyrotechnics or compressed air devices which generate or release inflation gas at a high volumetric flow rate, such that the airbag cushion is rapidly inflated.
Airbag cushions may be stored within and deployed from many locations in the vehicle. For example, airbag cushions may be disposed within housings located in a vehicle's dashboard or instrument panel, steering wheel or steering column, seats, pillars, or headliners. Airbag cushions are typically packaged for storage through a process involving folding, rolling, or a combination thereof to compact the airbag in order for it to fit into the small storage volume (e.g., a portion of the seat back of a seat system) containing the stored airbag cushion.
Airbag cushions may also employ venting to control inflation of the airbag according to various parameters. For example, fixed vents may be normally open to control release of inflation gas according to the particular application (e.g., vehicle, position within the vehicle, etc.) and characteristics of the airbag system (e.g., inflator, airbag shape, airbag size, etc.). Vents may also be provided that open or close according to various considerations. For example, active venting may be provided to open or close one or more vents during deployment of the airbag. Active venting requires actuation of a mechanism or other device after deployment of the airbag (i.e., after triggering the inflation device). Passive venting may instead be provided to open or close one or more vents during deployment of the airbag. Passive venting, instead of employing some controlled device, utilizes the physical state of an airbag cushion to open or close the vents, such as vents that open upon the airbag cushion encountering an occupant, or tethers that open or close vents upon inflation of the airbag cushion to a certain degree.
The aforementioned airbag systems, however, often suffer from various disadvantages. For example, airbag systems may be limited in their ability to account for varying conditions, such as occupants of different size or seated in different positions.